Program on Women of Auschwitz Saturday
“The rumor started as rumors do. There was just a hunch. A sick feeling in the stomach. But it was still just a rumor. What more could they do to Jews?… Why would anyone want teenage girls to do government work service?” (“999,” Chapter 1).
On March 25, 1942, a train left a Slovakian station with young, unmarried Jewish women and teenagers on board. Thinking they were bound for a short stint of government-ordered factory work, imagine their shock when they arrived at a then-unknown facility – the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Of almost a thousand women, most never returned.
Heather Dune Macadam’s book and documentary, “999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz,” explores the experiences of many of these young women. Drawing from interviews with survivors, relatives and witnesses as well as consulting with historians, Macadam has compiled stories that leave you feeling like you knew the girls yourself. Their individuality shines through in the details of their lives, from their tight-knit, safe communities to their terrifying introduction and experience in the Nazis’ most notorious concentration camp. After the war, you’ll see the varied ways that the few surviving women recovered and dealt with the trauma they’d experienced. No story is the same; each woman is unique.
This Saturday, January 29 at 11 a.m., Botetourt County Libraries will host a virtual author talk on Zoom with Heather Dune Macadam, discussing her book and documentary “999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz.” In addition to being an author and documentary producer and director, Macadam is a board member of the Cities of Peace: Auschwitz, director and president of Rena’s Promise Foundation, and a widely-acclaimed activist in the fight against Holocaust denial.
Though we’re making no promises, we hope to include a guest appearance by a Holocaust survivor living here in Roanoke at Macadam’s talk. Even if our guest is unable to come, this virtual event with Heather Dune Macadam is one you won’t want to miss.
If you don’t feel comfortable with technology or don’t have good Internet at home, you can call in to hear this talk by phone. Call the library or visit our website at www.bocolibraries.org to sign up so we can send you the link and phone number to attend. We hope you can come!
